Dimensions of quality: a framework for quality management in healthcare

The quality of healthcare services is as much a matter of perception as of hard clinical data. Therefore, to improve quality, it is necessary to understand the way in which customers perceive, rank, and weigh the variety of elements that make up this elusive attribute. Otherwise, the management of quality becomes a hit-or-miss affair, with misses more likely than hits. Thus, a proper framework for quality management must include a profound understanding of the customer's "dimensions of quality." This article offers an approach for developing such an understanding.